Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. Because of the mass of these large gas turbine engines, the engines take a long time to cool down after shutdown. Many of the components cool at different rates and as a result, interferences develop between various components. The clearance between turbine blade tips and blade rings positioned immediately radially outward of the turbine blades is such a configuration in which an interference often develops. More specifically, the turbine vane carriers with blade rings typically cool faster than the turbine rotor assembly including the turbine blades. As a result, the turbine vane carriers reduce in diameter more than the turbine rotor assembly. Thus, if it is desired to startup the gas turbine before is has completely cooled, there exists a significant risk of damage to the turbine blades due to turbine blade tip rub from the interference between the turbine blade tips and the blade rings caused by the blade rings and turbine vane carriers cooling and shrinking faster than the turbine rotor assembly. Thus, a need exists for reducing turbine vane carrier and blade ring cooling after shutdown.